


The Con

by hutchynstarsk



Category: Alias Smith and Jones
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:47:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24474532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hutchynstarsk/pseuds/hutchynstarsk
Summary: originally posted here: https://aliassmithjones.livejournal.com/90776.html
Kudos: 3





	The Con

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted here: https://aliassmithjones.livejournal.com/90776.html

“Dealer takes two.” Kid Curry licked his fingers and slid two top cards off the deck.  
  
They regarded their new hands studiously. Kid Curry wore his poker face. Curry turned over one card, changed its place with another card. “I’ll raise you ten cents.”  
  
Heyes sort through his dwindling stack of money. “I’ll see your ten cents, and raise you fifty cents.”  
  
Under his breath, Kid Curry made a sort of ‘tsking sound. “Your loss…”  
  
“Put up or shut up.” Heyes’ face got an intense look to it, but somewhat gleeful also. Curry threw down the money. The pot now held $1.80.  
  
“Stand and de-liver,” crowed Heyes, putting down his three aces.  
  
Curry allowed himself a grin. Heyes’ smile disappeared, as his partner laid down three twos, and two fives.  
  
“Well of all the dang luck. Kid, are you getting better at bluffing?” Heyes grinned suddenly as Curry reached for the money. “Just a second, Kid.” He laid out his last two cards…two sevens.  
  
Curry’s jaw went slack, and then hardened. “You…cheated!”  
  
“Did not,” said Heyes agreeably. Heyes reached for the money.  
  
“Wait a dang minute! We split the pot. It’s a tie, we split.”  
  
“I have the higher—”  
  
“We split! It’s in the rules—check Hoyle!”  
  
“It’s not, but I’ll check anyway.” He reached genially for his well-thumbed copy, then snapped his fingers. “Oh, drat. What do you know? I sold it when we were broke two towns ago. Remember? You wanted a drink…?”  
  
Curry grimaced. He stretched out, hands behind his head. “Guess we’ll have to wait till we can check someone else’s copy.”  
  
“Well,” Heyes sat down again. “Or we could flip for it?” He grinned his big grin. “What do you say?”  
  
Curry’s eyes narrowed and his boyish face hardened. “Whose coin?”  
  
“One of those. Any one. You can flip.”  
  
Curry thought on it a moment, then nodded. He picked one of the larger coins, flipped it up and caught it on the back of his hand. “Call it.”  
  
“Heads.”  
  
Curry uncovered the coin. “Tails.” He grinned triumphantly.  
  
“Great!” Heyes returned the smile. “You win. We split it.” He reached for the pile of coins and began dividing it into two piles.  
  
“Hey—wait a second! I thought we were flipping for all of it!”  
  
Heyes made a ‘tch’ sound. “No, Kid, to see whose method we’d follow—mine or yours.”  
  
“You mean yours or Hoyle’s,” said Curry. He kept an eye on the division. “That means…heads you’d win it all, tails you’d win half. So you couldn’t lose. No wonder you let me flip.” He scowled.  
  
“I did have the better hand. Don’t blame me that you wanted to change the rules as soon as you won the flip.” He finished dividing the pile and pocketed half. “There. Rest is yours.” He backed up off his knees, grunting a little, and sat there crouched. He glanced at the Kid, a quick, cunning look, and grinned. “Wanna play Montana Red Dog?”  
  
“I’d beat you at Red Dog!”  
  
“Care to back that up with a little wager?”  
  
“No.” Curry frowned at him.  
  
“Tell you what. I’ll make you a wager you can’t lose,” said Heyes. He got to his feet smiling.  
  
“I wish you wouldn’t give me that look. It’s like there’s no one around to con so you’ve got to con me.” Curry crossed his arms, and nodded to the cards, still scattered around. “It’s your deal.”  
  
“Okay.” Heyes shrugged. “I’ll deal, if you don’t want to clean me out…” He emptied out his pockets. “…all of five dollars and fifty-eight cents.”  
  
Curry appeared interested. “You’d bet it all? On what? A coin toss?” His eyebrows got skeptical, rose slightly.  
  
“No. Easier than that.” Infectious, dimpled grin. “A shootin’ contest!”  
  
Curry stared at him. “You can’t be serious.”  
  
“I can. See that knot on the tree over there?” He pointed.  
  
Curry gave him a frankly incredulous look. “That little bitty thing? You think you can hit that?”  
  
Heyes shrugged. “I’m willin’ t’ give it a try,” he said in a gravelly voice, one hand resting comfortably on his gun belt and holster.  
  
Curry looked at the little knot on the end of a small tree limb, then at Heyes, and then back. “I’ll do it. Let me count out five fifty-eight.”  
  
Heyes put a hand on his arm. “Now wait a minute, Kid. Hardly seems fair—me betting everything, you betting just $5.58. I think you ought to bet everything too—especially since you’re better at shootin’.” Rueful grin.  
  
Curry nodded. “I guess that’s fair.” He emptied out his pockets, and counted it, licking his fingers to separate the bills. “Ten eighty.” He looked up, meeting Heyes’ eyes.  
  
Heyes nodded. Curry set the money out and Heyes set his out, both on a big flat rock.  
  
“Feel kinda bad takin’ your money, Heyes.”  
  
“Well you can pay for the next hotel room and meal, how’s that?” Heyes adjusted his gun belt.  
  
Curry seemed to consider this seriously, then nodded. “Yep. And I’ll let you count down.”  
  
“On three.” Heyes adjusted his gun belt with one leather-gloved hand, and faced the tree with a serious expression, his smile falling away.  
  
Curry, on the other hand, grinned a lazy grin. “Don’t feel right,” he said, shaking his head a little, still grinning.  
  
“One,” said Heyes in an abrupt voice.  
  
Curry got ready, settled his stance.  
  
“Two.” Heyes’ hand hovered close to his gun.  
  
“Three!”  
  
Curry’s gun leapt into his hand and he fired off two rounds. Both skewered the tiny knot hole on the little branch—a perfect shot. The branch splintered and cracked, and the end fell off. Curry looked satisfied and smiled, drawing back a little. He flipped his gun, put it away, and smiled proudly at Heyes.  
  
Heyes, not looking at him, drew his gun and fired. One bullet. He hit the big knot hole in the middle of the main trunk. It was as big as a fist, an easy target. He put his gun away, and smiled at Curry, raising his brows. “Surprised you didn’t hit that.”  
  
Curry gaped at him. “What—?” He gestured to the tree. “What did you go and shoot that for?”  
  
“The knot hole.” Heyes nodded one jerk of his head. “Why? What were you aiming for?”  
  
“For the little thing!” He pointed. “What were you—? That shot’s no challenge!”  
  
“You didn’t hit it, did you?” Heyes crossed his arms and grinned.  
  
While Curry was still gaping at him, Heyes bent and scooped up all the money from the rock. Curry stood still, blinking at him. He looked after his dark-haired partner, who sauntered off towards the horses.  
  
Heyes stopped by his horse’ side, gave it a pat, and fiddled with her saddle.  
  
“HEYES!” shouted Curry, as the full impact of Heyes’ little con got to him.  
  
  
<<<>>>


End file.
